< Legacy Stories

Celebrating 20 years!

Science, Policy & Problem Solving

The López-Hoffman lab’s ecological research seeks to understand the ways that functioning ecosystems provide services to humans. Its policy research investigates the use of innovative collaborations, agreements and policies to protect and add value to ecosystems and their services.
Ruscena Wiederholt, Ph.D., is a post-doctoral researcher at the Udall Center and the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. She is currently working on valuing ecosystem services provided by migratory species and modeling population dynamics of those species to better understand their migratory patterns. This past spring, Ruscena also headed the development of a new monarch butterfly garden in front of the Udall Center on the University of Arizona campus.
“I've particularly liked our work on monarch butterflies as there is an immediate need for the science to inform conservation decisions, particularly at the national and international levels. [Because of this work], I really wanted to do something on the ground, and that would also provide learning experiences for students. Our plan is to use the [new butterfly] garden as a research and educational site.” ~ Ruscena Wiederholt, Ph.D.
Aaron Lien is a senior researcher at the Udall Center and a Ph.D. candidate in the Arid Lands Resource Sciences program at the University of Arizona. His research seeks to improve conservation outcomes on public rangelands. Before coming to the Udall Center, Aaron spent nearly a decade working for conservation organizations in Washington, D.C., and leading policy research and implementation programs at the UA Water Resources Research Center.
“My time working in Professor López-Hoffman’s lab has been a formative experience. Prior to joining the lab, I was a conservation professional looking to transition into research and teaching. [This] lab has provided the ideal environment to accomplish this goal. Over the past three years, I have learned how to formulate rigorous research questions; carry out scientific research using a variety of…methods; teach effectively at the college level; and write research grants as opposed to project grants.” ~ Aaron Lien
Sofia Rodriguez is an undergraduate conservation biology major in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. She is studying ecosystem services of international migratory species and is currently working on two case studies: one on the history and impact of the Federal Duck Stamp and one on the ecosystem services provided by the Mexican free-tailed bat, which migrates from Mexico to the United States in the summer months and provides pest-control services for agricultural crops in Texas and in the U.S. Southwest.
“What’s fascinating about working on these papers is that I didn’t realize how much policy would be a part of conservation biology. I never had a really big focus on policy until I began working in this lab. It has been interesting to look at the process behind policy and administrative discretion.” ~ Sofia Rodriguez. Photo Courtesy of USFWS
Ashly Lona is a senior undergraduate student studying conservation biology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. She is working with Professor López-Hoffman to conduct background research on Native Nations and ecosystem services. She is also assisting Aaron Lien with his research on payments for ecosystem services.
“The opportunity to collaborate with Professor López-Hoffman’s lab has been a rewarding and exciting opportunity to prepare myself for a successful future as a researcher. Working with the lab has provided me with insight to the grant-writing process and even allowed me to write a section of an EPA proposal! Members of the lab come from a diverse set of backgrounds and skills, which together make a well-rounded and knowledgeable team.” ~ Ashly Lona
Natalya Robbins Sherman (Navajo) is an undergraduate in the Ecology, Management and Restoration of Rangelands program in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. She will be starting a master’s program in Natural Resources Studies in fall 2016. Natalya is currently assisting a fellow lab member with a study investigating the ecosystem services of urban green spaces and the effect they have on human health.
“My experience with Professor López-Hoffman’s lab has been invaluable. The lab really makes an effort to promote diversity in higher education. I have learned so much and received so much personalized mentorship. There have been times when everyone dropped everything they were doing just to help me with my homework or with an application. They help me achieve my goals simply because they want to make the world a better place.” ~ Natalya Robbins Sherman. Photo Courtesy of Parks in Focus®
Michael Kotutwa Johnson (Hopi) is a Ph.D. student in the American Indian Studies program at the University of Arizona with an emphasis in Policy and Law and a minor in Natural Resources. His research focuses on the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), a federal conservation program, and how it is applied on the Hopi Reservation. As part of this research, he is developing a "best practices manual" to demonstrate Hopi conservation practices as it relates to agriculture in their semi-arid environment.
“I am enjoying what I do because my research takes a proactive stance in dealing directly with issues of conservation and sheds more light on those Indigenous populations affected by environmental policy developed mainly without their input. [In the López-Hoffman lab], we have a post-doc, Ph.D. candidates, master’s students as well as undergrads. We learn from each other as a tight knit community. It’s the community aspect I really enjoy about working with my fellow lab partners.” ~ Michael Kotutwa Johnson
Claudia Reynoso is a master’s student at the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. She is studying ecosystem services in urban green spaces and how they affect human health and well-being. She is particularly interested in using the benefits of nature to promote health and a better understanding of our environment, especially in young children.
“I have gained a huge sense of self-motivation and dedication. Working in the lab has allowed me to grow as a scientist, by allowing me to go through the scientific method independently and with assistance of the lab members. It created a safe space for me to not always be right. I am more confident and excited to move forward than I was before. This opportunity has opened my eyes to my own potential.” ~ Claudia Reynoso. Photo Courtesy of Parks in Focus®
Alfredo Leal Sandoval is a visiting Ph.D. student from the Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa. He is currently researching ecological services provided by Mexican free-tailed bats to corn agro ecosystems north of Sinaloa, Mexico.
“I’m the one in the field catching bats, following them and monitoring corn fields for future data analysis in the lab. The opportunity to work with the partners in the lab and be a part of it is a big motivation for me. Having English as a second language, the need to share information with my lab mates pushes me to keep improving my English. The good lab atmosphere ensures that language doesn’t become a barrier in the important scientific skill that is communication.” ~ Alfredo Leal Sandoval. Photo Courtesy of USFWS/Ann Froschauer

The Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy (Udall Center), at the University of Arizona (UA), sponsors policy-relevant, interdisciplinary research and forums that link scholarship and education to decision-making. The Udall Foundation helps fund the Udall Center’s work on issues involving environmental policy, primarily in the Southwest and U.S.-Mexico border region, and Indigenous nations’ policy.

A portion of the funding that supports the Udall Center helps support the lab of Professor Laura López-Hoffman, an associate professor at the Udall Center and the School of Natural Resources and the Environment.

“I was trained as a conservation biologist and do a lot of good old-fashioned conservation biology,” López-Hoffman said. “In my lab we study mainly migratory species like Monarch butterflies, Mexican free-tailed bats, and Northern Pintails. Much of our work on migratory species seeks to show how these species help the sharing of ecosystem services between Canada, the United States, and Mexico.”

Ecosystem services are the benefits humans receive from ecosystems such as food, erosion control, water quantity and quality, and flood protection. The López-Hoffman lab uses the concept of ecosystem services as a means to evaluate the complex interactions between ecosystems and species, the services they provide, and human well-being.

“The other main theme of my work is to integrate tools from ecology and social sciences—ranging from law, economics, public policy and geography—to assess the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).” Ultimately, the objective of the lab’s research is to contribute to the development of policies that protect ecosystems while sustaining their contributions to human well-being.

“Almost everyone in the lab is involved in both ecological analysis and policy analysis,” López-Hoffman said. “We all work on data analysis, field work, scientific article preparation, and grant proposal writing—all skills the students will need as they further their careers. And we work as a team, which helps us all learn new insights from each other.”

View the slideshow above to meet some of the people currently involved in the López-Hoffman lab, learn about their research, and see the impact the lab has had on them.

“Almost everyone in the lab is involved in both ecological analysis and policy analysis. We all work on data analysis, field work, scientific article preparation, and grant proposal writing—all skills the students will need as they further their careers. And we work as a team, which helps us all learn new insights from each other.”

~ Laura López-Hoffman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Udall Center and School of Natural Resources and the Environment

ADDITIONAL LINKS

Udall Center Environmental Policy Program

Laura López Hoffman Lab

About Ecosystem Services